There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where casino wagering is not allowed. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect spot, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling hall, highlights 150 one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga casino is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel compound that features numerous comforts on top of the gambling hall, which has ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.